Mallorca ends it's promotional relationship with Rafael Nadal
The Balearic Ministry of Tourism has withdrawn from the deal it had with tennis star & world number one Rafael Nadal to promote the Balearic Islands as a tourism destination. The Ministry claims that it cannot afford to remain in the three-year deal that was initially worth €6 million, but has risen to €15 million when the costs of extra promotional materials were added.
The original contract was agreed in 2009 and the campaign was intended to promote Majorca and the Balearics around the world using Nadal's high profile to raise awareness of the islands and encourage more visitors. Nadal, who was born in Manacor, Mallorca, will now not be paid the final instalment of his fee (€2 million) as the Ministry of Tourism attempts to address it's current deficit of €47 million.
It has been reported that the split between Nadal and the government is amicable. Other celebrities such as Michael Douglas and Claudia Schiffer have been used to promote Mallorca in the past and there is uncertainty about how successful these type of campaigns are. The TV commercials featuring Nadal have not been run on high profile channels and other promotional materials featuring the tennis star have not been fully utilised. The lack of co-ordination and planning this year has been linked to the poor financial state of the Tourism Ministry.
